


see you latte

by kagehinataboke



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Baker Hinata Shouyou, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Cafe AU, Domestic Daisuga, Eventual Romance, F/F, Friendship, Humor, Implied Relationships, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-04-21 19:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14291385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kagehinataboke/pseuds/kagehinataboke
Summary: “Just so you know,” Kageyama said, dumping him on the couch, “this doesn’t make us friends.”The worst day in the history of all time? Yep, without a doubt.* * * * *After losing his job at a patisserie, Hinata applies for a new position at a small cafe in downtown Sendai, See You Latte. With quirky owners, an eccentric staff, and a huge clientele, the new job will definitely take a lot of getting used to—but at least the pay is good.





	1. the brew crew

See You Latte Café and Pastry Shop was located in downtown Sendai, comfortably situated between a tattoo parlor and a small vet clinic. From the outside it was plain, but cheerful, with a crumbling brick facade, a pastel yellow overhang, and a collection of unadorned outdoor tables with open white umbrellas.

When Hinata pushed open the frosted glass door emblazoned with the café's logo, a small bell chimed from above in cheerful greeting. The smell of café au lait and confectioner's sugar made the room seem warmer somehow, and the collection of loosely arrayed tables rendered the space comfortably cozy.

There were no customers present so early in the day, but the whir of the electric air conditioner and the gentle hum of the espresso machine filled the silence. The furthermost wall across from the counter was covered in a large blackboard, where the menu had been scrawled in taffy pink chalk.

When Hinata wandered towards the counter, clutching his 'help wanted' flyer nervously, someone rushed out from the warmly lit recesses of the shop to greet him. He had silver hair, bright brown eyes, and a smile Hinata could tell was worn often. "Welcome! You must be the new applicant." He spoke gaspingly, as if struggling to catch his breath. "I'm the owner, or one of them, anyway: Sugawara Kōshi! _But_ most just call me Suga."

Hinata accepted his handshake with a skittish smile, intimidated by the loud, bright way he spoke. "Um, n-nice to meet you… I'm Hinata. Shōyō. Hinata Shōyō." He cringed inwardly at the broken sentence and bowed his head timidly. "Sorry, I'm a bit… _nervous_."

It wasn't his first job, but no matter how many times Hinata went through the interview process, it never became less stressful. That's why he loved baking so much: no other people were involved, and therefore no conversations he could mess up.

Luckily, Suga relieved his tension with a light and easy laugh. "Perfectly understandable! It is a job interview, after all." He took the flyer from Hinata's hands and beckoned at him. "Follow me."

The café was much bigger on the inside than it appeared from the street, and Suga led them down the main hall, which branched off into four separate rooms; doors all closed save for the one at the very end, where they were headed. The smell of brewing coffee trailed them even as they passed through the threshold.

Suga offered Hinata a chair at the table inside and sat across from him, retrieving a paper from the pocket of his black apron. He spread it out and pulled in his chair, clearing his throat while Hinata wrung his hands together nervously.

"Alright, so it says here you have previous experience working in the restaurant business, Hinata-kun?"

"Uh, y-yes." He coughed and tried again. "Yes, I do. I worked at a patisserie close to my house for a while, but it recently moved to a bigger location in Tokyo."

"Ah, I see." Sugawara studied the paper—his resume—closer, making Hinata fidget nervously, despite the man's friendly smile. "And you assisted with baking at this patisserie, correct?"

"Yes… I mostly did the delicate work, because my hands are smaller…" he trailed off, pulling on his fingers awkwardly. "Ah, but I can make almost everything... and I do decorative work, as well."

"Excellent!" Suga's smile brightened, if that were possible, and put down the resume. "Well, the most important question I have is—"

"SUGA! WE'RE HERE!" a loud voice shouted from the front of the shop, interrupting the subject's question.

Both he and Hinata jumped in surprise and Suga cringed, holding a hand over his ear. He turned to look down the hallway glaringly. "I'm very sorry, Hinata-kun: some of our workers tend to be on the _loud_ side. Please excuse me for just one second."

"Uh… sure..." Hinata trailed off lamely as the man ducked out of the room, muttering irritably to himself. He stormed down the hallway purposefully and disappeared around the corner, leaving him sitting alone in awkward silence. Hinata could hear several voices talking at once from down the hall, unable to make out any of the words. He hesitantly left his seat to hover in the doorway, squinting down the dimly-lit corridor curiously. He could faintly make out what was being said from his new position, but still had to strain to listen.

"—in the middle of interviewing a new candidate, if you hooligans could keep it down for _five minutes_."

"New candidate? I forgot we were hiring. _Please_ tell me it's a girl! Yacchan's the only one we have, and I _really_ don't think one is enough."

"Tanaka-san, please don't say that," a timid female voice piped up, noticeably quieter than the others. "I'm sure whoever Suga-san hired is the best for the job… right?"

"Thank you, Hitoka-chan, but he _hasn't_ been hired yet since Tanaka _interrupted my interview_." Suga clicked his tongue irritably. "Have either of you seen Daichi? He left early this morning to receive a coffee bean order, but he should've been back by now. I need someone to run the front of the house while I finish this."

"We haven't seen him," the girl responded—Hitoka, Hinata presumed. "But Tsukishima and Nishinoya-san should be here soon, so you can ask them."

"Dang it… Well, Tanaka, I suppose _you're_ in charge until I'm done…" He seemed reluctant about the statement. "Are you sure you didn't see Daichi?"

"Come on, Suga: you can count on us! Right, Yacchan? Just leave everything to me!"

"Gah… _fine_. But don't break anything—and I don't care _how_ cute the girls are, Tanaka: _no free drinks_!"

"Awww, but _Suga_ —"

"What are you idiots yelling about?" a new voice joined the conversation, more acrid and sarcastic than the other three.

"Hey, you can't talk to your elders that way, Tsukishima!"

"You tell 'im, Ryuu!" a fourth voice encouraged, much louder than his fellow workers. "Tsukishima, I keep tellin' ya that you're gonna scare away all the customers."

"Alright, enough!" Suga interrupted, clearly annoyed. "I'm in the middle of something. I don't care who's in charge, but _somebody_ needs to keep this place running until I get back. And one of you, _please_ call Daichi!

There was the sound of footsteps. Hinata quickly flew back to his seat with a nervous squeak as Suga rounded the corner, fuming silently to himself. He fell into his own chair with a huff, running a hand through his silver hair in frustration. "I'm sorry, Hinata-kun, but our staff is really—"

"TSUKISHIMA, YOU DAMN BASTARD!"

" _Are you kidding me_?!" Suga glared over his shoulder at the further interruption. He tried for a reassuring smile Hinata's way, but he could practically see steam seeping from his ears. "I'm very sorry about this, but please hold on for just another minute." He excused himself again, stomping down the hall in an almost comical Godzilla-like manner.

Hinata sat stupefied in his chair, blinking at the door helplessly. Should he have just left? It didn't seem like the drama would die down anytime soon… Besides, did he really want to work in a place with such rowdy employees?

Probably not, but… he _really_ needed the job.

He'd stick it out until the end of the interview, at least. How hard could that be?

*** * * ***

Hinata ended up waiting longer than expected. So long, in fact, that he took to studying the room to occupy himself. It wasn't really much to look at, unfortunately—just a couple filing cabinets, the table he sat at, and a powered-off computer at the back wall.

It only provided him with a few minutes of entertainment before he was back to staring down the hallway dejectedly. He'd untucked and re-tucked his white collared shirt into his only pair of black dress pants about a million times, wrinkling the material. He was beginning to consider just taking a nap. He rested his forehead against the table and tried not to cry. What an unprofessional way to run a business: leaving your potential hire packed away in a back room for hours—or what felt like hours—like some kind of closet monster. It was humiliating, and so, so, so _boring_.

"Oi, you!"

" _EEEK_!" Hinata shrieked when the voice suddenly blasted into his ear. He whipped his head up so fast that he nearly gave himself whiplash. "S-s-so-s-sor-sorr— I'm sorry!"

The person standing in the doorway was—against Hinata's assumption—a scowling blue-eyed boy with hair the color of black coffee. He had his hands on his hips and was glaring at him. "Why the hell are you back here? We're swamped! Get up front; _now_!"

"W-wh-wha-what?" Hinata stammered anxiously, squeaking when the stranger grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him back down the hall toward the front of the shop. Realizing his clothes were eerily similar to the uniform the boy wore, he tried to clear up the misunderstanding, "Oh, I— I'm n-n-n-not—"

"Shut your mouth and start serving! These orders are piling up."

Before he could fully process anything that was happening, Hinata had an apron tied around his shoulders and two trays thrust into his hands. He tried again, futilely, to tell the dark-haired boy he wasn't hired yet, but he wouldn't hear more than a syllable out of him, shoving him out into the midst of tables littering the café floor.

Feeling confused and overwhelmed, Hinata got dragged every which way, somehow losing drinks to the mass of customers as he was pulled in every different direction at once. Eventually, both his trays were empty and he was handed two more. He didn't have a chance tell anyone that he didn't work there because the moment he caught sight of a worker, they disappeared as quickly as they'd come. Hinata couldn't even set down his things in fear that the scary boy from before would show up and yell at him.

He continued to deliver drink after drink and plate after plate until his body felt numb and he was inhaling the smell of coffee with every breath. The struggle to stay afloat in the sea of people didn't stop until the last customer of the day had left and the sun had dropped below the horizon. Hinata was left standing next to the pastry counter, covered in coffee stains and trembling like a leaf in the wind.

As he put a hand against the glass to steady himself, one of the workers finally took notice of him: a guy with a shaved head and an intimidating aura. He raised an eyebrow and leaned an elbow against the shoulder of his shorter coworker, who had weird spiky brown hair. "Hey, who's this kid, Noya?"

"Dunno," the shorter replied, studying the dazed Hinata with a shrug. He turned to the blonde girl on his left. "Yachi?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, either."

"He was loitering around in the back," the scary dark-haired boy from before answered with a glare his way, half-busy cleaning out an espresso machine. "I told him to get his ass on the floor since we were swamped. He's the new hire, isn't he?"

"Oh!" the shaved-head guy—Tanaka, Hinata guessed—made a sound of recognition. "But… he _hasn't_ been hired yet, right? Have you?" He addressed the last question to Hinata, who stiffened under the harsh attention.

"N-n-no, but I d-didn't have a c-ch-chance to t-tell anybody…" he stammered uncomfortably, trying to still his shaking hands. "Everything m-moved r-r-really _fast_ …"

"Kageyama, you _idiot_ , you scared the crap outta the poor kid!" Tanaka scolded, earning a scoff from the dark-haired boy. "Suga's gonna _kill_ us when he finds out—"

"Finds out what?" a voice echoed from behind them all dangerously, scaring Hinata half to death. Sugawara stood in the doorway, wearing a look that undoubtedly scared the fear of God into everyone present. " _What exactly did you incompetents do to my new hire_?"

"It was Kageyama's fault!" Tanaka yelled instantly, pointing incriminently at the aforementioned. " _He_ pulled him out of the back room!"

"But I was just—!" Kageyama tried to defend himself, but a glare from his boss threw him into reserved silence.

"Enough from _all_ of you." He put a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder, although, it failed to still his exploding heartbeat. "I'm so very sorry about this, Hinata-kun, but... I suppose you'll be happy to know that you've gotten the job."

"I— I did?" he asked, glancing at the man disbelievingly. "B-but, the interview—"

"It's alright," Suga assured him with a smile. "After all, you've fairly proved yourself by working on one of the busiest days without any formal training, right?" He scratched his neck sheepishly. "Besides, it's really my fault for leaving and forgetting you were in the back..."

"I— I g-guess so…" Hinata finally released the tense breath he'd been holding and smiled hesitantly. He might as well take the job, right? Aside from the misunderstanding and his anxiety, it hadn't really been all that bad... Plus, Suga _did_ seem very apologetic about what happened. He would feel bad to turn him down, and he really did need the job.

Decision made, he dropped into a tight bow. "T-then, I accept! Thank you very much! I won't let you down!"

The rest of the employees started to cheer, until Sugawara silenced them with a sharp glare. " _Don't_ think I forgot about what happened. All of you will be staying late to clean up, so don't be too spry."

There was a collective groan as Suga patted Hinata on the shoulder, friendly once more. "Alright then, Hinata-kun, you stay right there and I'll bring you an envelope with all the information as well as a uniform." He disappeared into the back again, leaving Hinata standing by the counter stiffly, all of the café's workers staring at him.

The first to speak was Tanaka, who left Noya's side to clap him on the back. "Well, guess that mess was worth it after all, huh, newbie?" He offered Hinata a big, infectious grin. "Welcome to the brew crew, kid!"


	2. a brewed awakening

It was raining the next day: a torrential downpour that appeared entirely out of nowhere. Hinata sprinted all the way to the coffee shop, slipping over the wet sidewalk until he finally careened through the glass doors and into the blissfully dry shop. As before, the scent of brewing coffee and brown sugar permeated the place, offering a feeling of warm familiarity.

The wind howled outside furiously, nearly unnerving in its ferocity. Hinata shivered listening to it, shaking the rain from his feet while he closed his soaked umbrella. He didn’t hate rainstorms, but they sure were creepy. His mom always said they were bad omens, too: he didn’t want his first day to be doomed from the start. At least it would probably be slower with the rain…

“Ah, you’re here, Hinata!” Suga appeared from behind the counter, arms stacked high with boxes. “Kageyama is waiting in the back room for you! He’ll be doing your training.”

“I— I see…” Hinata stumbled over his own feet, sliding his umbrella into the stand by the door. “I’ll go now. Thank you!” He hurried past the few early-morning customers with a shy nod, disappearing into the back hallway.

So Kageyama would be the one training him… Hinata flinched remembering his harsh voice and piercing glare. Why did it have to be _him_? He was scary, and rude, too. Even if he _was_ pretty good looking, he seemed totally unapproachable. Besides, Hinata was still mad about being thrown to the dogs the previous day.

But he had to learn from _someone_. He was there to work, so he wouldn’t let spite get in the way. _I’ll be friends with that jerk if it kills me!_ he swore inwardly. _I’ll be so friendly, he won’t be able to stand it!_

“What the hell are you doing?” Kageyama stood in the doorway of the back room, a scowl superimposed on his face. Hinata couldn’t help but think that it totally ruined his otherwise handsome features.

“N-nothing!” He quickly composed himself. “Suga-san said you’d be the one I’m training with. Please take care of me.” He felt incredibly awkward looking up at him— _literally_ , he was almost two heads taller—but getting along with coworkers was the first important step to succeeding at any job.  

Kageyama was clearly irritated by his cordiality. “Yeah, whatever. Just follow me, and try not to destroy anything right away.” He nailed him with an intense glare worthy of a prison warden. “Don’t get in my way, either.”

“Yes…” Hinata murmured dejectedly, scurrying after him when he took off down the hall.

So maybe it would be harder to become friends than he’d thought…

***  *  *  *  ***

“Order up for tables two and seven!”

“Got it!” Hinata grabbed the trays that Asahi passed over the counter, inhaling the warm scent of cinnamon and cream. He’d been working on serving for the past hour, and thus far, it was more fun than every other task. Everyone was busy, Yachi taking orders while Tsukishima bussed tables and Noya greeted customers at the door. Asahi was busy baking; and, much to Hinata’s surprise, Kageyama was crafting drinks.

He was good at it, too, putting intricate little foam designs on top of each drink—flowers and hearts and the like. Hinata totally hadn’t expected such delicacy and attention to detail from such a harsh guy. He seemed much more approachable when he was standing behind an espresso machine.

“Hinata, I have a job for you!” Suga’s muffled voice called from the back.

“Coming!” Hinata put his serving tray back on the counter and disappeared down the hall. Suga was waiting just outside the stockroom, frowning to himself. “What can I do for you?”

“I have a delivery I need done,” he said distractedly, preoccupied checking items off in a little blue notebook. “I know it’s your first day, but you’re the only one I can spare right now. Think you can handle it?”

“Of course! Just tell me what I need to do!” Hinata wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to prove himself, especially after the disaster of the previous day. Although it technically hadn’t been his fault, he wanted to prove that he truly deserved the job. Besides, how hard could a delivery really be?

“There’s a business expo going on at a nearby hotel and there are three boxes of macaroons that I need delivered there.” Suga lowered his notebook and pointed to the back door, where three mint-green pastry cases wrapped in pink bows were carefully stacked up. “You can borrow my bike. Take them to the kitchen door, on the left side of the building. Make sure they’re there by two o’clock.”

“You got it!” Hinata backed toward the door, nearly tripping over his own feet. “You can count on me!”

“Uh-huh.” Suga had already gone back to his notebook, murmuring numbers to himself incoherently.

Taking off his apron, Hinata ran into the back room to grab a coat before braving the rain. Outside, Suga’s bike was propped up against the alley wall, waiting to be loaded. Hinata carefully dragged the macaroon cases closer to the threshold, struggling to lift them into the basket. How such small pastries could weigh so much was beyond him, but he wasn’t about to give up. It was only three cases: practically nothing.

“Gotcha…” Hinata grimaced, finally securing the last box on top of the others. He made sure the cases wouldn’t slide before mounting the bike, taking off down the alley. “That wasn’t so bad. This’ll be a piece of cake!” He snickered to himself, throwing up his legs as the bike sped around the corner. “I’ll show that snob Kageyama that I’m way more useful than he thinks!”

***  *  *  *  ***

The business expo was taking place in a huge twelve-story hotel a few blocks away from the café. When Hinata approached, he had to crane his neck all the way up just to get a glimpse of the top floor. It must’ve been a really important event, judging from all the men in fancy suits that kept running in and out. They all looked so pinchy-faced and uptight—like Kageyama, Hinata thought with a snicker.

Following Suga’s instructions, he rode to the left of the building to search for the kitchen entrance. A door was open along the wall, held by a tall man in a chef’s uniform. As soon as he saw him, he flagged Hinata down as if he were calling a taxi. “Oi, you! It’s about time!”

Hinata quickly brought the bike to a stop, nearly flying over the handlebars before he could flip down the kickstand. “Sorry for the delay!” Although, he was technically there on time… “I have the macarons you ordered right here.”

“Bring ‘em in.” The man jerked a thumb over his shoulder impatiently. He had the look of someone with a billion things to do and not nearly enough time to do them. The frown lines on his forehead made Hinata’s head hurt. “Since you’re late, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind helping set up the display.”

Hinata wanted to protest, but he didn’t want to make the man angry and reflect badly on their business. ‘The customer was always right,’ as it were, so he nodded reservedly. “Yes, sir…”

“Good! Hurry up and get in there, then.” The chef hovered over him, foot tapping impatiently while Hinata carefully unloaded the macaroons. He staggered to the door, forced to peer around the stack to be able to see.

“Wh— Where should I take them?” he stammered, teetering through the kitchen like an unsteady baby deer. His knees were trembling from the weight of the boxes, but there was nowhere to set them down.

“Out there!” The chef waved impatiently, already turning back to his work. “There’s an empty table: you can’t miss it.”

“Um… Okay…” Hinata hugged the boxes tighter, careening through the swinging double doors and out into a wide room filled with tables of food. As the man had said, there was one empty spot left that had been set up with empty circular display trays, all waiting to be loaded with pastries.

“Thank god…” Hinata staggered over, somehow managing to set the boxes down without dropping a single one. He took a step back and glanced around, expecting someone to be waiting to help arrange them, but there was no one in sight. The other caterers were all busy setting up their own tables, not even sparing him a glance.

Dang it… Why didn’t Suga tell him he’d have to set it up, too? He had no idea how to arrange a display.

“Oh well…” Hinata rolled up his sleeves and unsealed the ribbon binding around the first box. “I guess there’s no helping it. If it looks bad, I’ll only be half at fault.” He reached for a macaroon, pausing when he realized that his hands were bare. “Ah, gloves… I should get gloves first.” He borrowed some from one of the other caterers before returning to the task at hand.

There were five circular trays with four shelves each, constructed of fancy swirling white wire. Hinata decided to line up the pastries in a wave-like pattern, figuring that was the best way to keep them from falling out. The work was delicate and therefore slow, but it was easier than he expected. By the time Hinata had finished three trays, only about twenty minutes had passed.

 _This isn’t so bad,_ he thought, putting the finishing touches on the fourth display. He paused to survey the work, admiring the mix of purples and greens created using the tiny pastries. _They look pretty good so far, and I’ve only got one box left._ With a renewed burst of energy, Hinata wiped the sweat from his forehead and opened up the last box of macaroons. “If I just set these up, I can—”

An elbow suddenly struck him from behind, sending Hinata stumbling roughly into the table. He managed to steady himself, but the damage had already been done: one of the display trays tipped, sending pastries rolling across the floor. Hinata saved the remaining three, watching helplessly as the escaped macaroons disappeared under other stalls.

“You clumsy _brat_!” The man who had presumably run into him sneered sinisterly. He was dressed in a fancy suit and tie, and he had a phone in one hand, so he must’ve been someone attending the expo. “You should be more careful!”

“I’m— I’m very sorry,” Hinata stammered, even though it clearly hadn’t been his fault. “I’ll clean them up right away!”

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, putting his phone back to his ear. “Good.” He stalked off, shaking his head. “Damn kitchen shouldn’t hire _children_.”

Hinata bit his tongue to keep from saying something in retaliation. He swallowed every ounce of anger and knelt down to pick up the broken macaroons—and what little of his dignity remained. All the other caterers shot him sympathetic looks, but not a single one offered to help.

***  *  *  *  ***

Hinata returned to the café slowly, feeling like he might pass out at any moment. His clothes were soaked, and he was dusted head-to-toe in colorful pieces of macaron shell. After picking up the dozen or so dropped pastries, he’d had to suck up his pride and set up the remaining box. After some rearranging, he’d managed to salvage the display, but he felt utterly exhausted and embarrassed. The kitchen hadn’t even apologized for delaying him so long.

“I’m back…” he called weakly upon entering the café, dragging his numb feet past the threshold. Not a single part of his uniform was still presentable: even his _sneakers_ were soaked. With the amount of water dripping off of him, one might think he’d been swimming in his clothes.

“Hinata?” Suga skidded down the hallway so fast that he nearly kicked off his shoes. “Where were you?! I sent you on that delivery _two hours ago_! Everyone was so worried!”

“Sorry…” Hinata had to use the wall to hold himself up. “They asked me to set up the display, and then it fell, so I”—he sneezed—“I stayed to pick it up.”

Suga’s eyes widened as he gave him a once-over. “You’re soaking wet… and your uniform is all dirty. Did you not wear a coat on the way back?”

“I must’ve left it. I’m really sorry,” Hinata repeated, leaning more heavily against the wall. He was just so tired… The smell of brown sugar and coffee that had been comforting before made him nauseous. “It… won’t happen… again…” The floor was swaying. How weird.

“ _Ack_!” Hinata didn’t realize he slipped until Suga caught him, immediately dissolving into a panic. “Oh god, oh god— Tanaka, Nishinoya, Kageyama; _somebody_ get back here and help!” For an adult who owned and operated a business, he wasn’t handling the situation very well, Hinata thought blearily.

Of course, freaking _Kageyama_ had to be the first to appear, peering around the wall with his ever-present scowl. “What do you—“ He cut himself off when he noticed Sugawara’s struggle, quickly crossing the floor to take Hinata before they could both fall. Hinata couldn’t get any words to come out when he tried to speak, but Kageyama seemed to have plenty. “What the hell happened?”

“The damn hotel made him stay to set up the display, which was knocked over, and then he rode back here without a coat.” The way Suga broke down the events made Hinata seem incredibly foolish, but he wasn’t exactly in a position to argue. Why wouldn’t his voice just _work_?

“What should we do?” Kageyama cursed when Hinata tried to straighten up and nearly fell over again. He adjusted his grip, which was surprisingly strong. “Dammit, stay still.”

“Take him back home, I suppose,” Suga replied with some uncertainty. “There’s nothing else I can think to do…”

“N-no!” Hinata finally forced himself to speak. “I can stay! I think I just need to rest for a minute.” If he went home, he somehow felt like he’d be surrendering the job. Even though it was probably stupid to think so, he absolutely _wasn’t_ going to leave.

“You can’t even stand up properly,” Kageyama scoffed, gesturing emphatically at his shaking legs. “Are you actually stupid or something?”

“Please,” Hinata rasped, losing his voice again. He must’ve actually gotten a cold from getting soaked. What a pain. He tugged on Kageyama’s sleeve insistently, anyway. “I really want to stay.”

“It’s not up to me.” Kageyama glanced at Suga. “Should we let him?”

“I’d feel bad denying him anything after everything that happened…” Suga scratched his neck, tugging at the collar of his shirt anxiously. “Poor guy… I suppose we can let him rest for a while in the back room and see if he improves.”

Although he clearly disagreed, Kageyama nodded mutely before addressing Hinata again. “Can you walk by yourself, dumbass?”

“Really with the name-calling?” Suga grumbled before he could answer. “Kageyama, don’t be rude to a sick person.”

”Whatever.” Instead of waiting for a response, Kageyama picked him up like he was a little kid and started toward the back room. “You owe me for this.”

“Hey, just remember that I’m the one who signs your paychecks, buddy,” Suga warned. His watch buzzed, earning a groan of frustration. “Ah crap, I have to go meet Daichi! Kageyama, please make sure Hinata settles down.”

“Yeah.” Kageyama waved him off irritably. “I got it, I got it: get lost already.”

“You’re a life saver!” Suga disappeared without being told twice, leaving them alone in loaded silence.

“Just so you know,” Kageyama said, dumping him on the couch, “this doesn’t make us friends.”

The worst day in the history of all time? Yep, without a doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally got around to writing the next chapter, and i'm in love with the story ahhh ;-; i hope you guys liked the update! thanks for all your patience ^-^


	3. impresso espresso

“Everyone, please listen up!” Suga clapped his hands loudly, drawing everyone’s attention from their scattered spots around the café. “I’ve got an announcement to make!”

Hinata nearly dropped a tray full of dishes, barely managing to balance them in time. He set the tray down to avoid another close call with disaster. It was only his fifth day of work, and he didn’t want to create a worse impression than he already had. Kageyama still glared at him anytime a delivery was even _mentioned_. Although Suga didn’t blame him, Hinata had a lot to live down after fainting on his second day of work… Daichi had even complained to the hotel about putting him to work. Hinata couldn’t bear to cause any more trouble for them.

“What’s the news?” Nishinoya demanded impatiently, halfway through wiping a table. “We open in fifteen minutes, Suga.”

“ _Who_ owns this café, Nishinoya?” Suga responded acridly. “This won’t take long. There’s a critic visiting today—and put the scoff _away_ , Tsukishima: this guy is the real deal.” He crossed his arms, giving each one of them a stern stare. His gaze lingered on Tsukishima, Kageyama, and Hinata before he cleared his throat and continued, “I want everyone on their best behavior. This critic is known to be surprisingly harsh, and he’s got a huge following. One bad review could ruin our business.”

“Geez, relax!” Tanaka waved his warning off dismissively. “We can handle it, Suga. There’s never been a critic we didn’t woo, right guys?”

There were a few half-hearted grumbled in response, which didn’t stop the nervous quaking of Hinata’s knees. “Um… Suga-san,” he spoke up quietly, “is it okay for me to be here on such an important day? All… all I ever really do is mess things up…”

“You’re still learning,” Suga reassured him. “There’s no reason to worry. Besides, I’ll have one of the others look out for you.”

Hinata’s confidence over being trusted was quickly shattered. “O-oh… I see.” So much for gaining respect with the others… He’d probably be known as the clumsy newbie forever.

“Speaking of…” Suga grinned somewhat maliciously. “Kageyama, please come see me.”

Hinata’s heart dropped to the floor when Kageyama reluctantly followed Suga, nailing Hinata with an icy glare. _Oh no… He’s not pairing me with Kageyama, is he? No, no, no. He hates me! I’ll end up making even more mistakes if_ he’s _shadowing me all day… This can’t be happening._

“Are you okay?” Yachi appeared next to him with a concerned frown. “You look pale.”

Tsukishima snickered. “He’s probably just worried the King will wail on him again.”

“King?” Hinata repeated in confusion. “What’s that?”

“It’s what we _commoners_ call Kageyama,” Nishinoya said half-jokingly. “He’s scarily perfect at everything. Nobody could keep up with him at first, and since he’s got such good looks, the customers started calling him that. It stuck on, but he absolutely _hates_ it. The only one who still calls him that to his face is this jerk, Tsukishima.”

Hinata gulped. “So, he’s… he’s not gonna take it easy on me, then?” As if there was ever a hope of that in the first place.

Tanaka patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “All I can say is… good luck.”

***  *  *  *  ***

To say Kageyama was unhappy about being forced to chaperone would be a major understatement. If he hadn’t made his hatred towards Hinata clear before, the seething looks he kept giving him across the cafe floor got the message across loud and clear.

_I’ve done it now._ Hinata’s hands shook hard enough to rattle the cups on the tray he was carrying. _What do I do?_ _He really doesn’t like me. Not that I can blame him… I’ve caused nothing but trouble since coming here, and now he practically has to babysit me. I’ve hit rock bottom here._

At least there was plenty of work to do. If Hinata was busy bussing tables, he didn’t have time to worry about Kageyama’s eyes stabbing into his back. Hinata had never seen someone brew coffee so spitefully before. How was he ever going to better his reputation if such an intimidating guy kept watching over him so closely?

Hinata could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow. He wouldn’t last much longer under so much pressure, but if he asked Kageyama to lay off, he’d probably get his head bit off. He might’ve been panicking a little. _What if I mess up again? I can’t focus at all._ Hinata loaded more cups onto his tray, trying not to panic. _It’s inevitable: I’ll mess up and they’ll probably fire me, and I’ll have to find another job, which means another interview, which means—_

“Watch out!”

Hinata heard the customer's warning a second too late, slipping on her dropped spoon. Like a car wreck in motion, he lost his balance and tipped over like a felled tree, sending the tray of dishes flying. Glass shattered everywhere, cutting into Hinata’s palms when he scrambled back to a standing position.

“Oh— oh my gosh… I’m so sorry!” the customer apologized. “Are you okay?”

“It’s my fault!” Hinata rushed to help Nishinoya, who had appeared with a broom, pick up the glass. “Please don’t worry! You’re not hurt, are you, miss?” If he dropped everything _and_ hurt someone, Hinata might have to quit out of pure shame.

“I’m… I’m fine, but are you sure you—“

“Again, please don’t worry,” Hinata interrupted her with a smile. The less fuss over the situation, the better. “My apologies. I’ll be more careful from now on.” He quickly retreated but didn’t make it five steps before Suga had grabbed his arm.

“Hinata, you’re too on edge.” He guided him toward the back room. “I think you should take a short break.”

“N-no, I can keep working!” Hinata protested, but he was already being pushed into the break room.

Suga smiled placatingly. “Please, take some time to collect yourself. You can come back to work in a few minutes.” He didn’t sound mad, but there was something in his face that made Hinata flinch.

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

As soon as Suga disappeared behind the door, Hinata fell onto one of the benches bordering the break room lockers. He was so close to tears that a mosquito bite would have driven him over the edge. There hasn’t been a disaster in several days, and he’d started to get his hopes up that he could redeem himself. Every single job, it was the same: he got too nervous and messed something up. Dropping so much glass like that could’ve seriously hurt someone—and all because Kageyama’s staring was making him uncomfortable.

Hinata groaned. “I’m the worst… Maybe I’m just destined to live the life of a degenerate. I have to apologize to everyone again… If they didn’t hate me before, they will—“

The break room door slammed open with enough force to dent a metal locker, scaring Hinata half to the grave. Kageyama kicked it closed again, muttering to himself angrily. When he noticed Hinata’s cowering form, he slammed his fist against the wall beside his head. “You! You dumbass bastard, what the _hell_ are you doing?! Don’t you know that it reflects badly on me if you mess up while I’m—“ He paused, probably realizing that Hinata was _this close_ to bawling. “Uh, um… I mean, you should really be more careful…”

He lowered his fist, but the scowl remained. “Hey, let me ask you something: what’s your deal? I just… I really don’t get you at all. Do you have anxiety or something? You do fine sometimes, then freeze up randomly. Are you that afraid of people?”

“It’s… it’s not that,” Hinata murmured, flinching when Kageyama clicked his tongue impatiently. “I— I just don’t do well under pressure... I can’t think properly, and everything I want to do turns out wrong.” He smiled weakly to mask the impending tears. “I really am terrible at everything…”

“What?” Kageyama scoffed. “That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard. Everyone is good at something. If you go around calling yourself terrible, no wonder you mess things up all the time.” He moved past Hinata with a long sigh, opening up a locker. “Ugh, whatever. I didn’t actually come here to grill you or anything. That damn four-eyed bastard spilled coffee on me.”

Hinata took that as a sign that he wasn’t going to get beat up, but some tension still remained. He couldn’t seem to stop himself from talking. “Sugawara-san is probably mad… I’ll lose another job.” He clenched his fists, crying out at the sharp pain in his palms. “Ah… the glass.”

“What did you say?” Kageyama crossed the room in an instant and seized his wrist, gripping it hard enough to force Hinata to show his palm. “You _idiotic_ — You got cut and were just going to leave it like this? It will get infected!” He grimaced at the blood dripping down his hand. “Look at all this…Geez, it’s like this and you didn’t say anything?”

“I— I forgot,” Hinata murmured, staring at his feet while Kageyama stormed off.

“Wait here, dammit! Don’t go anywhere!”

As if he would go anywhere. What, did Kageyama think he would run off? Even if he was unreliable and clumsy, Hinata knew he had to deal with the consequences of his actions. Are you that afraid of people?

_‘If you go around calling yourself terrible, no wonder you mess things up all the time.’_ Kageyama was right: Hinata’s failure was probably his own fault. Being nervous wasn’t something he could control, but how he dealt with it _was_. Lying down and accepting it just like that… What kind of person did that make him?

“Oi, quit spacing off and give me your fucking hand,” Kageyama demanded, reappearing with tweezers and bandages. “You really must be a moron to leave glass in your damn palm… Gah, it’s in deep.”

Hinata winced. “You don’t have to do this… I was going to—“

“Shut up before I stab you with these by accident.” Kageyama waved the tweezers threateningly, which was enough to shut him up. His fingers worked quickly and carefully. He really was good at everything, like Nishinoya said. His personality certainly needed some work, though. “I still can’t get over how accident-prone you are. It must be a special skill.”

Hinata’s despair turned to irritation. “Don’t you think I know that? I can’t help it. Wherever I go, bad things just seem to—“ He cut himself off, recalling Kageyama’s words again. “That is, er... I’m just very… very clumsy.”

“I can tell.” Kageyama dug out the last piece of glass and started bandaging. “Anyone who faints at work or gets the glass of at least four plates stuck in their hand must be clumsy.”

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Hinata mumbled. “I’ve lost a million jobs because I mess things up so much. My last one was going well, but then they had to move to Tokyo…”

“Man, it really does seem like you have bad luck,” Kageyama mused, moving to Hinata’s other hand. ”But… now that I think about it, most of the accidents here weren’t your fault, right?” He counted them off on his fingers. “There was the first day, which was everyone’s fault; the delivery, which was because of the kitchen’s misinformation; and today, when the customer dropped a spoon. Not like it’s minor stuff, but it wasn’t really your doing.”

Hinata was struck dumb for a moment. He hadn’t even realized, but what Kageyama said was true: Sugawara had been apologizing to him nonstop since day one, not the other way around. He’d been making a big deal out of something... small.

“Done.” Kageyama collected the bandages and tweezers. He paused to smack Hinata on the shoulder. “If you really want to make up for everything that happened, then don’t mope around like a kid. Get back to work and help impress the critic.” He sighed. “Again, this doesn’t make us friends, but… nobody here ever said you were terrible.”

***  *  *  *  ***

Hinata returned to work with renewed energy, and for once, he didn’t feel anxious in the least. Focusing entirely on the work made it easier to avoid messing up, and before long, the day was over. He didn’t even realize until Suga was locking the café door.

_Wait… seriously?_ Hinata paused halfway through scrubbing a table. _Was the critic... even here? Did they show up? Crap, I didn’t notice at all… Does that mean I messed up after all? Wouldn’t somebody have told me…?_

“Good job today, everyone!” Suga beamed. “The review isn’t out yet, but the day ran smoothly after the incident this morning!” He let out an anxious breath. “Of course, I was still crazy worried… But it looks like we pulled it off!”

“Well, we’re just lucky Tsukishima didn’t screw us over with his bad attitude,” Nishinoya joker. He glanced around, frowning when there was no comeback. “Hey, where is he, anyway?”

“I saw off the critic.” Tsukishima appeared out of nowhere, scaring everyone half to death.

“You… saw him off?” Suga repeated. “Why, though?”

“Oh… We’re childhood friends.” As if the news was inconsequential, he picked up a serving tray and began loading it with dishes. “We should start cleaning up now—“

“ _Tsukishima_.” Suga grabbed him by the shoulders, wearing the scariest smile Hinata had ever seen. “Are you telling me that there was nothing to worry about the whole time? That I pushed everyone for _no reason_? _Is that what you’re saying right now_?”

Tsukishima pushes up his glasses uncomfortably. “It’s not like our friendship effects the review he would’ve given this place. Although, perhaps he would’ve been a bit more considerate, considering that I work here.”

Suga’s brow twitched in irritation. “Seriously… I don’t know whether to hit you or thank you. More importantly, how do you have such powerful friends?”

“That’s not important.” Tsukishima shook him off carefully. “I suggest we clean up quickly. There’s a storm on its way, and I’d prefer not to stay late.”

“Geez, that guy…” Suga grumbled. “Whatever: I guess he's right. Let’s hurry and clean up, everyone!”

His words spurred the employees into action. Hinata was about to resume cleaning tables when Suga grabbed him by the shoulder. “Hey, Hinata. Don’t look so scared or I’ll feel bad! I just came to praise you for your hard work today, especially after your injury.”

“It… it wasn’t really me.” Hinata glanced at Kageyama, who was bickering with Tsukishima by the espresso machine. “I was struck with a bit of inspiration. From now on, I’ll do my very best to work even harder!”

Suga laughed sheepishly. “Wow, so much enthusiasm… Well, then, I’ll be looking forward to see you trying your hardest.” He patted Hinata on the back with a cheery smile. “Keep at it! I can tell everyone is starting to like you.”

“Thank you, boss!” Hinata smiled brightly, a tiny sliver of hope warming his heart. Although each of them were strange and the café itself wasn’t very organized, the members of See You Latte seemed like they belonged to a family. For reasons Hinata couldn’t explain, he really wanted to belong to that family, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm on a roll lately with writing chapters~ hope you guys enjoyed the update ^-^ (honestly Hinata is so me at my job lol)


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